OldDinosaurWesH
Well-Known Member
Greetings to all of you tobacco growing enthusiasts out there! I'm going by OldDinosaurWesH. as we unrepentant smokers seem to be kind of a thing of the past.I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture from a Pac 10 (now Pac 12) University and fortunately for me, learned a lot about making things grow. I especially like growing things that are difficult to grow. After all, as my cousin used to say, "If it was easy, everyone would be doing it!" Tobacco certainly qualifies in that regard. There's a whole 'lotta work involved if you want to be successful. I am a second year grower, and have been doing very well. Last year I grew six types totaling about 75 plants on about 500 sq. ft. I was sufficiently successful to produce enough to last me through to this year...I can't say that I'm a big fan of Virginia type bright leafs, but live and learn as they say... With some advice from a fellow I met online, this year I planted 13 types for a total of 270 plants on about 1,300 sq. ft. So far, so good. I 'gotta whole lot of vegetation out there! I just did my first picking, and put 825 leaves away to cure. My biggest limitation is available sunshine, as I have a bunch of large mature shade trees. It gets very hot around here in the summer, and I'm not about to cut my trees down. I like that natural air conditioning! So, I have to do a lot of planning on my tobacco plantings in order to maximize productivity. I'm two - thirds through the growing season, and my tallest types are starting to peek over the fence. That fence is about 7 feet high. It's fascinating to watch these things grow. You can see the change on a daily basis. Like corn in Iowa! Or, so I've heard, I've never actually been to Iowa. Enough for now. Keep on growing!